Impact of proactive risk-prevention nursing interventions on the recovery of ICU patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia

Background and objective Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common complication in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. For patients with VAP, in addition to active treatment, targeted nursing interventions are required. However, routine nursing care often overlooks various risk factors that may arise during the patient’s recovery process. Consequently, this study aims to reveal the impact of proactive risk-prevention nursing interventions on the recovery of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with VAP. Methods This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in accordance with the CONSORT guidelines. Using purposive sampling, 90 ICU patients with VAP were randomly classified into a control group and an observation group, with 45 patients in each. The control group received routine nursing interventions, while the observation group was treated with proactive risk-prevention nursing interventions. Primary outcome measures: The mechanical ventilation time, ICU stay, and body temperature recovery time were compared. Secondary outcome measures: White blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NC), inflammatory cytokine levels, psychological comfort levels (assessed using the General Comfort Questionnaire), and patient satisfaction with nursing interventions were compared. Results The observation group exhibited shorter mechanical ventilation duration, ICU stay, and body temperature recovery compared to the control group ( P < 0.05). Additionally, the observation group demonstrated greater improvement in WBC, NC, CRP, IL-4, PCT, and GCQ scores across all dimensions, along with higher patient satisfaction, compared to the control group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Proactive risk-prevention nursing interventions can reduce mechanical ventilation duration and ICU stay, decrease inflammatory cytokine levels, improve psychological comfort, and enhance patient satisfaction with nursing interventions in ICU patients with VAP.